Laurie Littlepage

Littlepage's research program is focused on the contributions of the epithelium and surrounding stroma/microenvironment to both cancer progression and normal tissue development in the mammary gland and prostate.

She has focused on three major projects:

• The transcription factor/oncogene Znf217 that promotes a progenitor cell phenotype, metastasis and chemoresistance during breast cancer progression
• MMP3/Stromelysin-1 promotion of progenitor expansion, genomic instability, DNA damage, and centrosome amplification during mammary tumor progression
• Matrix metalloproteinases that contribute distinct roles in neuroendocrine prostate carcinogenesis, metastasis, and angiogenesis progression.

Overall, her research is grounded in understanding the mechanisms of cancer progression and in identifying therapies that prevent or reverse cancer in patients. She develops and uses integrated mouse models and genome-wide association studies to understand the contributions of specific genes in vivo at multiple points in cancer progression, spanning from normal mammary development to tumor progression and metastasis and chemotherapy resistance.

She uses a combination of mouse and human xenograft in vivo models, cell culture and organotypic cultures, and systems biology approaches to study biomarkers of epithelial plasticity and to determine how these genes drive aberrations in fundamental biological processes, e.g., differentiation state, progenitor cell maintenance, metabolism, and genomic integrity.

She also is identifying targeted therapies appropriate for personalized treatment of cancer patients based on these biomarkers.

Publications

1. "Molecular profiling of breast cancer in Native American women reveals distinct genomic and transcriptomic features” Guo F.; Littlepage L.E.; Stack M.S.; Li J.  2026 Mar 17;10(1):175. doi: 10.1038/s41698-026-01373-6.PMID: 4184495.
2. "Evaluation of the Mammalian Aquaporin Inhibitors Auphen and Z433927330 in Treating Breast Cancer" Charlestin V.; Tan E, Arias-Matus C.E.; Wu J.; Miranda-Vergara M.C.; Lee M.; Wang M.; Nannapaneni D.T.; Tennakoon P.; Blagg B.S.J.; Ashfeld B.L.; Kaliney W.; Li J.; Littlepage L.E. Cancers (Basel). 2024 Jul 30;16(15):2714. doi: 10.3390/cancers16152714. PMID: 39123442.
3. "Aquaporin-7 Regulates Response to Cellular Stress in Breast Cancer" Dai C.; Charlestin V.; Walker Z.T.; Wang M.;, Miranda-Vergara M.C.; Facchine B.; Wu, J.; Kaliney W.; Dovichi N.J.; Li J.; Littlepage L.E. Cancer Research. 2020 Oct 1;80(19):4071-4086. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-2269. Epub 2020 Jul 6. PMID: 32631905.
4. "The CXCL5/CXCR2 axis is sufficient to promote breast cancer colonization during bone metastasis" Romero-Moreno R.; Curtis K.J.; Coughlin T.R.; Miranda-Vergara M.C.; Dutta S.; Facchine B.A.; Jackson K.; Li J.; Kaliney W.; Niebur G.L.; Littlepage L.E. Nature Communications 2019 Sep 27; 10(1):4404. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-12108-6. PMID: 31562303.